Today's charity, Child's Play, provides children's hospitals with toys and games in several different countries. Imagine being a kid stuck in a hospital at this time of year, and you can see why this is such a great idea. Some of the toys are given to the children to keep. Others, like game console systems, stay with the hospital for all the kids to use.

Child's Play prefers donations via Paypal (woohoo!) but you can also give via our First Giving Fundraising page.

Want to go the extra mile? Child's Play has links to participating hospitals' Amazon wish lists, so you can buy a toy for one near you and have it shipped directly to them. Check their map to find a hospital near you.

Why I am involved with the Pay It Forward Fund:Pay It Forward Fund is a non-profit organization that helps patients pay their bills while they undergo treatment for breast and women’s cancers. The charity pays essential living expenses so patients can focus on what’s really important—getting healthy.

What if you got cancer, couldn't work? What if you were in danger of having your electricity or water shut off? For many women, these questions aren’t hypothetical. They’re real. Even people with health insurance often struggle financially during cancer treatment. In fact, over 60% of the costs associated with treatment are indirect. Many patients face high deductibles and co-payments, and some become too sick to work or to care for their children. Unanticipated expenses and lost wages can quickly put patients behind on their bills. But there is help - and that help is the Pay It Forward Fund.

Hi Jen!Thanks so much for including a charity that accepted PayPal - I've donated my dollar a day for two weeks all to this charity. I do appreciate the chance to give and you are really making a difference with your fundraising. Good job :)Chantal

A great charity helping families who have lost a child or parent is Willow House. These are the circumstances nobody wants to be in, but many of us are. The group provides amazing services, but is really struggling financially right now.

Love the CW, just have a charity drive suggestion-the Global Fund for Women find out more @ globalfundforwomen.org also have a phone# (415)202-7640 I think this giving idea is the best! Happy Holidays to everyone! :)

Born & raised in WV, so I donated through the Amazon wishlist for WVU Children's Hospital in Morgantown, WV. I purchased one toy from each of my four boys for a total donation of $38.57 (if you're keeping a tally). Gift notes read: "From a loyal Cake Wrecks reader - hope these toys brighten someone's day!"

I visited the Kansas Humane Society this past weekend and, although they don't take any money from the national organization, I'd like to recommend the Humane Society or ASPCA! Our furry friends need our help this winter, especially in this economy!

Happy to see Child's Play up for today. :) Also, I would like to add that any donations made to a Humane Society should be made locally- HSUS is not affiliated with local organizations and does not provide financial support to them. From everything I have heard, donations to HSUS go to fund ad campaigns and are not actually used to directly benefit, well, anyone. Just a heads up.

WV: versuor; My eyes are versuor after trying to figure out that snowflake maze.

What an AWESOME Charity for today guys! My son was very ill and in the hospital 7 years ago during the Christmas holidays and so I wanted to be able to give something back. You can add my $30 donation via paypal to your total :c)

Thanks for the laughs every day, even if it occasionally causes me to spit coffee on my keyboard! I love what you're doing for charities and would like to suggest modestneeds.orgI've been giving to them for years and love their mission. They've kept a lot of people from falling through the cracks in the system and into a cycle of poverty.

I'll let them speak for themselves. From their site:

Modest Needs exists

To prevent otherwise financially self-sufficient individuals and families from entering the cycle of poverty, when this might be avoided with a small amount of well-timed financial assistance;

To restore the financial self-sufficiency of individuals who are willing to work but are temporarily unable to do so because they do not have the means to remit payment for a work-related expense;

To empower permanently disadvantaged individuals who otherwise live within their limited means to continue to live independently, despite a temporary, unexpected financial set-back; and

To strengthen small non-profit organizations by providing a forum whereby such organizations can apply directly to the general public for the help they need to complete the relatively inexpensive projects that will allow them to better serve their clients and the communities they exist to serve.

Another option for people who use Capital One credit card is using their no-hassle giving site (https://www.capitalone.com/give?linkid=EOS_Z_Z_Z_login_R1_03_G_MICAFR) Every single one of the places (including Child's Play and Share Our Strength) is listed on their site. Capital One then covers all the credit card transaction fees, so all the money gets to the charity. I know that it makes it harder to track the donations, but it does give more money to the charity.

"Obviously, the first two wrecks commemorate the carelessly uncovered Petri dish that led to the discovery of penicillin!"*****************************@Noni Mausa--- Ahahahaha! Truer words were never written! And just in case, don't poke around in the icing too much, in case you've come too close to the truth. Cakes that look like that probably sit around a long time on the shelf! :D

Cool picture of a snowflake from flickr, and very cool charity! "Winter" to you both, Jen and John!

I love the Charity Campaign! It warms my heart to know that people care. Imagine if everyone who was able to give, gave. The world would be a very different place.

I would like to suggest a cause that me and my family have been supporting for years. It is the Scleroderma Research Foundation. The website is http://www.srfcure.org/srf/home.htm where you can learn more about the disease, the research, and ways to give. Thank you for taking the time to read this. I hope you and your readers have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! :)

I just have to say that I enjoy that Child's Play was chosen as one of the charities. A while back I was fortunate enough to help raise a few hundred dollars for anyone who would like to whack a nerd, such as myself.

GLSEN - gay lesbian straight education network. This is a non political organization that works towards creating safe spaces in schools, informed teachers, and anti bullying campaigns. I have a personal reason for recommending this network of educators because they provided tremendous support and resources for my school, and when I mentioned that I would be suggesting them to you, my mother put her hand over her heart and said they helped her understand my position and be a better mom to me. (impossible! She is the best mom ever. but that's another story)

They have a fantastic rating as far as the economy of their donations, so you know anything offered will be put to good use.

In closing, I'd like to say thanks for doing this wonderful thing with your holiday funds. It has inspired me to buy my husband his presents from our favourite charities, with 100% of the profits going to them.

Yay! I love snowflakes. In fact, I always decorate my place all snowy and blue and silver. *sigh* THESE, however, are not snowflakes. The first one does look like an amoeba and the second one...a computer chip? Or some kind of maze computer game from 1986?

I am a total Cakewrecks fan, after discovering your blog through a local company called mywedding.com, and have been buying the books for gifts for friends and family this year. Thank you for your good-natured humor, which lifts my spirits every day. And thank you for bringing the charities to our attention and below are a few more for you to consider.

I work as a professional machine quilter and wish I could donate more to these organizations, who largely through volunteer efforts do an amazing amount of good in their communities, and for our soldiers, every day. I have worked with clients who donated quilts or blankets to all of these charities, and since my cousin was killed while serving in Iraq, I have a special fondness for American Hero Quilts, at:http://www.americanheroquilts.com/

Quilts of Valor is another wonderful organization, at:http://www.qovf.org/

And of course, I have to mention Project Linus, who provides blankets and quilts to critically ill children, at: http://www.projectlinus.org/

charity - if you'll still take a nomination -> Admission Possible http://www.admissionpossible.org/ I have friends who work for them and it's a great organization.

Mission: dedicated to helping promising, low-income young people prepare for and earn admission to college. Our mission is to identify low-income high school students with the potential and motivation for college and then to provide them with four critical services: (1) ACT and SAT test preparation; (2) Intensive guidance in preparing college applications; (3) Help in obtaining financial aid; and (4) Guidance in transition to college.

I can't think of a more worthwhile cause than Greg Mortenson's Central Asia Institute. His charity builds schools for children in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The impact is twofold - it improves the lives of children (especially girls) and promotes peace.

If you haven't read the book Three Cups of Tea, I can't recommend it enough. It is a book about how Greg came to know and love the people of this war-torn region, and how he felt compelled to help. It is an inspiring and uplifting book. After going to his website, I learned he also has a new book: Stones to Schools.

Yay!! I'm SO SO SO glad that you picked Child's Play!!! I love the chairty and just think of how happy they can make the kids in hospitals. I know it may seem like an almost selfish/pointless thing. "Video games and movies?? really?" but what better way to help brighten up a day stuck in the hospital with something just so fun??

Oh my God, the fact that this charity exists breaks my heart a little, but what wonderful work. For your records, I went ahead and ordered directly off my local children's hospital wish list for $29.91. And I'm definitely going to blog this forward tonight.

I am so thrilled to be a part of this, and I hope that this post doesn't come across as negative.

I agree with giving to an animal organization, and there are tons of great options. However, I am sad to see some of the comments I have read about the HSUS, and I just feel the need to defend them a little. The Humane Society of the United States is not affiliated with local shelters, and none of their advertising is meant to suggest that they are. Having said that, they are critical to the well-being of animals in this country and across the world. Money given to the HSUS goes towards rescuing animals from large scale disasters (Katrina, etc.), stepping in to help local shelters and police departments shut down puppy mills, lobbying for better laws against animal cruelty, and spreading awareness about puppy mills, fur hunts, illegal "crush videos (videos depicting animal torture), and dog fighting. And that is just a FEW of the things they do.

Giving to a local Human Society is always a great thing to do. But please don't be upset with the HSUS for not be affiliated with local shelters. That is not what the organization is meant to do, and they do amazing things with the funds they have. For exanple, they have consistently received positive reviews from charity reviewers.

I guess my point is that they shouldn't be punished because of a misunderstanding over what the organization does.

Go here to see what the HSUS does for animales:http://www.humanesociety.org/news/

And again, I am not against giving to local shelters or the ASPCA or whatever. I just don't want people to be confused about the HSUS.

This organization is perhaps a bit specific, but at least in this reader's opinion is very worthy: US FIRST.

FIRST reaches out to K-12 students through robotics, teaching them to be active in their communities and to value science and technology.

From their website: "Our mission is to inspire young people to be science and technology leaders, by engaging them in exciting mentor-based programs that build science, engineering and technology skills, that inspire innovation, and that foster well-rounded life capabilities including self-confidence, communication, and leadership."

Thank you, Jen and John, for all you do to bring joy to the world through these silly cakes! It means more than you know on a rough day. And thank you for choosing Child's Play as today's charity! I work at MUSC Children's Hospital in Charleston, SC and several of our long-term patients have been recipients of toys thanks to their good work. Keep up the good work you're doing, too! Not to disagree with Buddy the Elf, but the best way of spreading Christmas cheer may be displaying wrecky cakes for all to jeer! :)

Thanks for setting up this opportunity to help. In the spirit of giving every day, I have thehungersite.com as my home page. You can click once a day and the sponsors give food to the needy. Probably doesn't fit in for these 14 days as a charity, but though you should know. Blessings!

Thank you for choosing Child's Play! You have just made a lot of sick kids' lives a bit more normal. I posted this when I suggested the charity but here's a link to a great Kotaku article about the impact this charity can have http://kotaku.com/5333593/gaming-before-chemo-a-childs-escape

ok that last photo of the tic tac toe snowflake cake is a "yellow" cake, now I may be on pain meds and that migt be why it's funny but there's that old bit of advice:"Don't eat yellow snow" that I think fits for a caption.

Don't forget that on lots of items, Amazon will do free shipping on orders over $25-- not hard to do! I just sent some movies and art supplies to the local children's hospital. If you order early in the week, they should still get there in time. Hooray!

Thanks, John and Jen, for doing this-- I always want to donate to more than a few places, but have only so much to go around. And it isn't like all these places have bell ringers in front of every store (can you imagine?), so I'm glad you've given me a place where I can chip in a few dollars for a few worth causes.

I bought a Cake wrecks book for my roommate for Christmas today. Yay! She's one of those hard to shop for types, but she likes cake, and she likes books, so it should work. If you're still taking suggestions for charities I'd like to add the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp (www.holeinthewallgang.org), Camp Homeward Bound (http://www.coalitionforthehomeless.org/camphomewardbound.html), or the National Ability Center (discovernac.org). These are all places I've worked and I can attest to their complete and total awesomeness. Thanks!

I wanted to nominate a 401(c)(3)non-profit that I volunteer for named Pandora's Project. It's the largest online peer-to-peer support resource for survivors of sexual violence, and has helped many thousands of people affected by child sexual abuse and rape worldwide. All of our funding comes from grants and donations; and this year we had our very first healing retreat, which was life changing for many people. There are over thirty forums with sections dedicated to male survivors, relationship violence, secondary survivors (those who have a relationship of any sort with a survivor, as they are touched as well by the trauma), and resources for hotlines around the world. The main site can be found here: http://www.pandys.org/ , but the bulk of the message board is private. There are public sections, though.

Part of what I am enjoying about this is reading about different charities. As my kids were squabbling (well, two of them) I read charity descriptions to them all. It sort of took the wind out of the squabble, at least the part of it that likes an audience.

I enjoy the cakes, and the chance to be involved in this charity drive! Also, thank you for the info to help us pursue different payment options!

I actually saw some "decent" (GASP) CCCs the other day at my local grocery store... i almost took pictures to prove it, but people were staring at my shocked expression and i didn't want to draw any more attention! I'm guessing they secretly hired professionals at that grocery store bakery.

Your website says on the right hand corner- Puffy paws kitty haven- today's charity. There is a photo of cats underneath. I wanted to donate, but I was redirected to a page that said my order had not gone through, even though I ordered nothing. Then when looking through your page, I saw no mention of Puffy Paws Kitty Haven as having been a charity. Oh well. I think something is wrong with your website?

Search This Blog

Wreck the Halls

NEW! Pre-Order Today!

Buy the Book

Buy the NYT Bestseller

What's a Wreck?

What's a Wreck?

A Cake Wreck is any cake that is unintentionally sad, silly, creepy, inappropriate - you name it. A Wreck is not necessarily a poorly-made cake; it's simply one I find funny, for any of a number of reasons. Anyone who has ever smeared frosting on a baked good has made a Wreck at one time or another, so I'm not here to vilify decorators: Cake Wrecks is just about finding the funny in unexpected, sugar-filled places.

order

Where's the book?

We don’t have any copies of Cake Wrecks for sale here, autographed or otherwise. We decided the shipping and handling costs would be too high to make it worth your while. So instead, buy your copies locally or online and then order personalized bookplates: it’s cheaper, easier, and I think even looks a bit nicer.

Ordering Info

Payments must be made through Paypal, which accepts all major credit cards. Sorry, but that means no checks or MOs or barter-based chickens.

We ship everything first class USPS, and will do our best to have your package in the mail within 2 days of your order.